Flash back to your childhood: a time where planes were sick, robots were epic, and dragons were the coolest thing in the fucking universe! The paper and the costumes were what let the imagination soar! Games were your blood, pop-culture was your life! Candy was a delicacy rivaled only by pizza! Saturday morning was your weekly holiday! Wasn't all that fun? Wasn't that cool?! Don't you wanna relive some of that childhood wonder?!

In the cold hard world where nostalgia is ruled by cashgrabs and rewatches, finding an experience that earnestly harkens back to your glory days is in somewhat short supply. Thankfully, Hisone to Maso-tan seeks a new path to fulfill your childlike desires: combining planes, dragons, and giant robots to create a charming experience unparalleled in the industry!...at least at first.

Let's start with our protagonist, Hisone Amakasu. She is one of the most adorkable, relatable, and endearing protagonists I’ve seen to date. Seeing this beleaguered dolt in a constant edge of having everything thrust upon her so fast as she tries to wriggle her way out of overbearing situations as no one listens to her is an absolute joy. Watching her try not to let her blunt brain do the talking for her, only for that to fail, is some of the most fun I have with the show. Seeing her and Nao snap is a riot given the chemistry they and other characters have -all this regardless of the crass humor that bad LN shows often tend to pull-. Their parallels with certain characters early on are also wonderous to display, due to this show’s marvelous presentation that is akin to an adult recapturing the whimsey and magic of an astounded child. This presentation also makes it easier to overlook the plethora of sci-fi jargon and how absurd the premise truly is, with dragons requiring airplane parts in order to somehow transform and blend in, and whatnot. However, it doesn’t let me dismiss inconsistencies, occasionally clumsy dialogue, or any aggravating twists and set-ups. Having a bunch of characters with hit and miss traits and quirks won’t change that, no matter how funny the good ones can be.

It does lose that sense of wonder, much like children do. Soon after the rest of the main cast is introduced, Hisone to Maso-tan focuses more on its growing cast of characters and their problems. It does a decent job with that, but not one substantial enough to truly make up for that loss, especially with a few admittedly small errors in the script. Unfortunately, the concept is still too silly to work perfectly, and the humor’s highlights aren’t as high as they were before. The show also transforms into a calculated love map with some out-there twists, so take that as you will.

Studio Bones is famous for their slick visuals, only adding this to their monumental catalog. Frequent bad plane & pilot CGI aside, the flying sequences are an absolute joy to witness, feeling extremely lifelike and kinetic with all sorts of turns, loops, and fast movements done by the OTFs. Speaking of which, the OTF designs are wonderful, most especially Masotan’s. The rest of the character designs are well-done and immensely varied, with a wonderful, almost child drawing-esque aesthetic that is tailor-made for bouncy character animation and uproarious facial expressions. It all culminates into a unique visual style that makes this show even more of a joy to watch, even when it transitions past its initial phase.

While the music is less commendable, it holds up well enough. The background music is rather nice, fitting with the scenes and sometimes being an emotional listen in their own right. Nothing absurdly memorable stands out but it works well on the whole. The opening, "Soujo wa Ano Sora wo Wataru" by Riko Fukumoto, has multiple versions, with only the final one being one I enjoy. The ending, "Le temps de la rentrée", has multiple versions, sung by different people as well as an instrumental version. The song has grown more on me overall, to the point where not only is nearly every version enjoyable, but that it's preferable to the opening.

Such a shame the show lost what made is so captivating. However, while it never rose to the heights of its early episodes, it does still offer a worthwhile viewing experience, even if that one is more awkward. It even loses some of the bad humor presented early on, even though it lost the better humor on top of that. Spring-boarding off such a wonderful start into something grander is difficult, even with a likable main cast and superb main lead. The show grew to what felt like a teenage -perhaps even adult phase, for better or worse. It grows more contemporary, less spectacular, and while it that's a pity, it didn’t lose heart or soul. It simply lost its whimsey, much like we all do. Alas, it’s time to return.